This was a pretty harmless trick, considering the kid fessed up to the lie before the end of interview, and I think our guy respected him a little for having the guts to go on that long.

But, it could have ended embarrassing for the kid if that had hit newsstands in the Sauk Valley, where people would have known it not to be true. And it could have been career-threatening for the journalist, whose credibility would have been shot.

After this week, it should be pretty clear why we journalists ask a lot questions.

While most of the athletes in the world of sports try to be honest, and many stop short when they are just doing a gag, some of them don’t.

There is a writer at Sports Illustrated having to defend himself pretty mightily after reporting on the death of Manti T’eo’s fake girlfriend.

T’eo will face scrutiny for this incident, whether or not he was in on it. His draft stock might plummet, and he’ll forever be remembered more for this than leading the Irish back into national prominence.

The journalist might end up finding it hard to keep a job. After all, it was his story and his duty to make sure the information in the story was accurate.

The whole episode was not a glowing endorsement for the world of sports.

Then there are journalists like David Walsh for the Sunday Times in London, who first accused Lance Armstrong of steroid use the day of Armstrong’s first Tour de France win 1999.

He spent the next 13 years investigating, asking questions, being sued, getting shaken down by Armstrong lawyers at cycling events and publicly ridiculed by the rider himself.

He did that all for the truth. Along the way, he angered readers, other writers, probably most of the cyclists, and every Armstrong-backer the world over.

Walsh did the hard part of this job that many journalists choose to avoid, and he came out the other side on top.

As one of my predecessors said late one night years ago, “If you’re friends with everyone you cover, then you’re probably not doing your job.”